


the spiderbite song

by GarrillaGal



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Making Out, No Spoilers, Spiders, it's set in season 1 so zero spoilers, just the soft stuff my guys, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 22:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15011012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GarrillaGal/pseuds/GarrillaGal
Summary: Keith and Lance are on a planet saving refugees when a spider interrupts their mission. Keith gets bitten, and the side effects make him very affectionate. Lance has trouble deciding whether this is a situation he likes, loves, or hates.





	the spiderbite song

**Author's Note:**

> this is for my beautiful friend, @purpleblingg on tumblr  
> this one's for you babe lol

Lance should have noticed from the very beginning that the mission wasn’t gonna go well. For starters, him and Keith were paired up to find a secret refugee base on an extremely verdant planet. It was nearly impossible to navigate the large green foliage without some type of guide. So that’s what they did. Lance lost a battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors to Keith and ended up on the ground while Keith guided him from the red lion.

“Okay. Do you see any openings?” Keith asked through the communications.

“Oh, yeah, plenty of openings, Keith. In fact there’s a completely open path straight to the secret base.” Lance said scornfully.

“Lance, this is serious. People need to be saved. Can you just cooperate?” Lance huffed and looked ahead of him.

“There’s an opening directly to my right and right behind me.” He said.

“Take the one behind you.” Keith instructed. Lance waited a moment.

“Are you trying to get me lost?”

“If you don’t hurry those people-”

“Okay, okay I’m going.” Lance said finally. After about a half hour of twist and turns, Lance groaned in frustration.

“Keith, I’m sweating here. What’s taking so long?” The was a long silence from the other end. Lance kept walking straight and brushed away the foliage in his way.

“Keith?”

“Get back to the lion.”

“What?”

“Now.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Shut up! There’s something following you, and it looks big.”

“What?? Keith, what’s going on?”

“Get your bayard out and go left. Hurry, but don’t run.” Lance looked behind him and saw nothing moving. It was completely still.

“Are you trying to scare me? This isn’t funny.”

“I’m not messing with you. It’s a good twenty feet behind you. Go left.” Lance readied his gun and went left. As he crept through the bushes, he could hear crunching behind him. It kept getting louder the faster he went.

“Keith? How close is it to me?” He whispered.

“Don’t talk. Go right.” Lance went right and snapped a twig under his foot. He froze. The noise behind him stopped. Everything was still.

“RUN LEFT NOW!” Keith screamed through the comms as a large spear-like leg came into view. Then another, and another, and about four more. Lance gave the giant spider one quick glance before shooting. The bullets ricocheted off of it’s skin and it snapped it’s pinchers in annoyance. Lance immediately turned to his left and started to run. He could hear trampling behind him.

“KEITH?? AM I CLOSE??” There was no answer. Lance was about to release a string of swears until he fell onto his knees into the clearing where the lion sat. He could hear a wet clicking noise behind him. He slowly turned his head to look behind him for the first time to get a full glance at the spider. It towered over him, and the pinchers were coated in a green slime. The spider raised a leg and pinned Lance down. Lance opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. His whole face froze in fear. The spider produced more slime from its pinchers and lowered its head level to Lance’s. Suddenly it snapped its head back up and shot the slime at something behind Lance. It gave him enough time to kick the spider’s leg off of him and crawl out of its path. He looked up and saw Keith slashing the spider with his sword and missing. He was covered in the green slime.

“KEITH LOOK OUT!” He shouted, but the spider was quicker. It hooked its leg behind Keith’s knee and knocked him down. Lance immediately started shooting to distract it. It worked, but now the spider was chasing after him.

“Shit.” He panicked and side-stepped away from the spider like a bullfighter. Keith was back on his feet and waved his arms.

“RUN BACK TO THE LION!” He shouted. Lance glanced back at the huge spider and darted to the lion. They almost made it. Almost. Keith was at the lion’s jaw, but Lance was still too far. The spider swiped at his legs and pushed him face first into the dirt. Lance wheezed as the air knocked out of his chest and his bayard went flying ahead of him. The spider was back in his face readying its pincers for a meal. Shots rang out from behind them and one of its pincers snapped off. The spider reared back and let Lance free. Lance scrambled to his feet and looked behind him to see Keith holding his gun. He was holding it wrong and shaking, but he was alive. Lance rushed to him and clapped him on the back.

“Thanks.” He said taking back his weapon. Keith nodded and and picked his sword off of the ground. Lance climbed into the lion and was ready to help Keith up. He grabbed his hand and started to pull up when Keith was yanked back down. He yelped in surprise and landed on his butt. Lance watched as the spider sinked its remaining pincher into Keith’s leg.

“KEITH!” Lance yelled over Keith’s screams and shot his gun. He managed to detach the other pincher and send the spider flying back a foot. Lance grabbed Keith’s arm and pulled him up. He closed the lion’s jaws and exhaled. Keith was on the ground wincing and grabbing at his leg.

“Can you still get us back to the ship?” Lance asked as he rushed to Keith’s side. Keith swallowed and nodded. He tried standing

“I just need to-ah!” he yelped in pain as he fell back down.

“Keith! Shit.” Lance swore as he steadied Keith back up to his feet. 

“Just. Put me back i-in the chair.” Keith stuttered through heavy breaths.

“Are you sure? Your leg-”

“Just do it!” Keith growled and Lance did what he said. He plopped Keith into the pilot’s chair and Keith reached out for the controls. The lion immediately started to whirr back to life.

“Take us home, red.” Keith ordered before passing out.

“Keith? Are you okay?” Lance asked worriedly as the lion stood. Keith was unresponsive the whole way back. As soon as they were in the castle’s range, Lance spoke through the communications.

“Coran? We’ve got a problem.”

~~~

“Well, it won't kill him.” Coran’s voice echoed in the infirmary. The entire group crowded around the single cryopod in use.

“Is he going to come out with an infected leg?” Hunk asked worriedly.

“Is he gonna be a spider mutant?” Pidge asked excitedly.

“Oh my god, like Spiderman.” Lance exclaimed.

“Yes!!” Pidge shouted as they high-fived each other. Shiro cleared his throat to silence them.

“Coran, is he going to be okay?” He asked.

“Um, well you see. The thing is, actually, his side effects are possibly undetermined.”

“Undetermined?” Hunk squeaked.

“You mean you don't know?” Pidge questioned. Coran sputtered for a second.

“Not exactly! He was bitten by a Xoskapian spider. No one has ever been bitten by one and survived. The creatures usually cover their prey in a digestive slime, and then consume them from the inside out.” Coran explained.

“Oh my god.” Hunk’s stomach lurched.

“Wait, Xoskapian? I think I remember reading something about that planet. Hold on.” Pidge ran out of the room without waiting for a response. Lance crossed his arms and leaned back on the cryopod.

“Xoskap. Is that Swedish or something?”

“Okay so Coran was right when he said no one has survived a bite, but people have survived the digestive slime.” Pidge said as they entered the room with a tablet in hand.

“This Galran medical archive says that ‘the side effects can range from minor headaches to severe loss of senses. The most common symptom, however, is imprintation. The patients awake from their coma and immediately find a significant other to latch on to. This side effect has been known to last for three to four’- uh.’”

“Three to four what?” Lance asked.

“I don’t know! It stops there!”

“So keith is going to choose one of us as his mom??” Hunk fretted.

“Not exactly? It doesn’t say anything about maternal attachment.”

“Can’t we just keep him in this thing until he’s back to normal?”

“I’m afraid that could kill him or throw him into hypersleep.” Coran said.

“I’m not ready to be a mom!” Hunk stressed. Shiro stepped forward.

“Guys, I get it’s an undesirable situation, but Keith is a part of the team. We need to take care of him.”

“ _ We? _ I’m sorry, but there’s no way I’m letting him imprint me or whatever.” Lance exclaimed. After a moment of silence, Allura stepped forward next to Shiro. No one seemed to realize she had been standing there watching the whole time.

“You could draw straws.” She suggested.

“How do you know what that is?” Pidge asked.

“I used to do it all the time with my friends when we had to do chores. Whoever picks the shortest straw has to let Keith imprint himself on them. Coran, could you cut up some straws for us?” She asked. Coran exited the room and returned with a fistfull of straws. He walked around to let each paladin plus Allura choose a straw. At the end, they all revealed their choice.

“Aw man.” Hunk sighed. Pidge relaxed and Lance laughed.

“Look on the bright side, buddy: it wasn’t me.” He said cheerfully. Hunk pouted.

“Not cool. Wait, does this mean I have to wait in here until he wakes up?”

“I’m afraid so.” Coran informed, “Well good luck! Have fun!” He said running out of the room.

“Let me know if you need anything, Hunk.” Allura said on her way out. Pidge threw up a peace sign and walked out. Shiro awkwadky cleared his throat before leaving.

“I’m glad we settled this quickly.” exeunt Shiro. Finally, Lance clapped Hunk on the shoulders and wished him good luck.

“Thank you so much for your service, Hunk dude.” He said with a smirk. Suddenly there was a  _ swooshing _ noise and they both looked up at the opening cryopod. Lance had barely enough time to react and catch the body falling into his arms. Lance screamed.

“HUNK TAKE HIM!” He pushed the cold and limp Keith in Hunk’s direction, but Hunk held up his arms.

“It’s too late!! You are the chosen one!!” He yelled in defense. Keith’s eyes started to twitch open and he tensed.

“Wha-?” He started, but Lance immediately pushed him into Hunk’s unwilling arms.

“ENJOY YOUR NEW MOM.” Lance yelled as he sprinted away from the situation. Hunk sputtered and struggled to lift the waking body.

“Uhhh Keith please stop moving. Oh my god you are so light.” Hunk chuckled, “I can lift you with one arm!” Keith groaned and tried to push away from Hunk, but faltered.

“Can you please put me down.”

“Oh, okay.” Hunk set him down on his feet, but Keith’s knees immediately locked up and he fell. Hunk went to help him up, but Keith held up is hand in a halting motion. He then slowly rose up to his knees.

“You sure you don't want any help?” Hunk asked, but Keith was already shaking his head.

“I'll be fine. Why is the room spinning? Are we being attacked?!” Keith made an attempt to stand, but fell over once again. Hunk quickly caught him and let him sink into his chest. 

“Nope. No Galra attacks so far. Keith, you really gotta stop moving. Just let me carry you to your room-”

“No! I'm fine.” Keith pushed away from Hunk and fell back on his butt. He groaned and slumped onto the ground.

“Are we flying near a sun or something. It's  _ really _ hot in here.” Keith rasped. Hunk looked around the empty room and started to panic.

“This isn't good. Keith, stay right there. Don't die.” He said while running out of the infirmary. Keith did what he said and stared at the ceiling. Hunk came running back a minute later behind Shiro.

“You said he won't let you touch him?” Shiro questioned worriedly as he paced towards Keith's limp body.

“Yeah. He fell on top of Lance and won't get up.”

“Where is Lance?”

“Right here!” Allura shouted in response from across the room. She held a pouting Lance by the ear.

“I found him running out of the infirmary with a suspicious look on his face.” She announced. Lance squirmed under her grasp.

“This isn't fair! Hunk drew the short straw, not- OW!” he yelped in pain as Allura continued to lead them forward by the ear. She pushed him to the ground at Keith’s side and held her foot on his back.

“Not only is Keith part of the team, but he is your friend. Do you not think he would do the same for you?” She asked. Lance scowled.

“Uh, Princess? Maybe go a little softer on him?” Shiro said quietly. Allura looked down and set Lance free.

“Sorry. But am I wrong, Lance?”

“There’s no way Keith would-” Lance started, but Keith started to shift at the sound of his voice.

“Ah- Lance-?” He croaked as he crawled forward. Lance stayed still and watched as Keith made feeble attempts to move. It was like watching a sick animal with no hope. Lance flinched when Keith’s cold hand grabbed his.

“What-?” Lance stopped when Keith grabbed his shoulders and and pushed him up into a sitting position only to sit in his lap like an oversized cat. Lance immediately panicked.

“Guys, guys, GUYS. What do I do??” Keith’s eyes were shut as he hummed peacefully against Lance’s chest. Pidge entered the room and immediately cackled.

“Oh, this is gold.” They said while holding a picture capturing device. Shiro stepped forward.

“Like Pidge said, you’ll have to be at his side until he gets better. Hunk and I can help carry you guys to the common room, but that’s all we can really do.”

“Stay at his  _ side? _ Does  _ this _ look like his side? He’s sitting on me!” Lance complained. Hunk knelt down and rested his hand on his shoulder.

“Buddy. Don’t worry. It’ll be over in three to four.”

“THREE TO FOUR  _ WHAT _ , HUNK??” Lance screeched. Shiro knelt at his other side, and started to lift him to his feet. Lance easily carried Keith in his arms. Hunk was right; he was pretty light. They all walked to the common room and settled the two on a couch. Pidge took plenty of pictures in the process. The move went smoothly except for a moment where Keith woke for a second and whimpered softly. He wrapped his arms tight around Lance’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder.

“Pidge do  _ not _ take a picture, I will kill you so hard.”

“Too late.”

Keith stayed asleep in Lance’s lap for most of the evening. Coran brought food for the both of them a few hours later. Trying to eat a bowl of goo while a large teenager is crushing your pelvis might sound easy, but it’s not. It would go smoothly if Keith would just  _ sit still _ , but he woke up at the smell of food and could not stop squirming the entire time. Each time he would lift the spoon to his mouth, the goo would slosh back into the bowl. Lance watched in annoyance.

“You better not get that on my pants.” He warned. Keith didn’t respond. He just watched the food fall each time.

“I can’t… move.” Keith said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked. Keith could easily move his arm from the bowl to his face. What was the problem? Keith set the spoon down and examined his own arm in confusion. He turned it over and stared.

“Is your wrist broken?”

“No. I just can’t move it.” Lance pushed his empty bowl away from him and took Keith’s hand. Smooth pale skin all around. No marks. Nothing broken.

“Dude, just grab the spoon,” he put the spoon in Keith's hand, “lift it to your face, and turn. No. Turn your wrist. Your wrist- Keith NO!” Keith dropped the whole spoon this time and the goo slid down Lance’s shirt.

“Aaaahhh shit.” Lance winced at the wet sensation. Keith just stared at the spoon in his lap.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I just need to clean it up. Can you walk yet?” Lance asked. Keith shrugged.

“Okay. Let’s try.” Lance took away Keith’s bowl and put his feet on the ground. He turned Keith’s body so his feet also touched the ground.

“Okay try to get up.” He instructed. Keith didn’t move for a second.

“If you fall, I’ll catch you.” Lance promised. Keith’s calf muscles tensed as he made an effort to push himself up from the couch. Lance followed quickly behind and kept his arms on his shoulders to steady him.

“Great! Okay, let’s go to the kitchen.” Lance said as they moved a few feet. Keith gave no warning as he immediately fell to the ground, so Lance tripped over him.

“Is everything okay?” Shiro asked as he poked his head out from around the corner. Lance lay sprawled uncomfortably on top of Keith in a tangled mess.

“We’re fine. We just fell.”

“Sorry.” Keith grumbled.

“It’s fine. We’ll just try again later. Shiro, could you get us some napkins?” Lance requested. Lance helped Keith crawl back to the couch and they resumed to their position of Keith in his lap.

“Okay. So instead of using your hands, just use your mouth.”

“What?! What are you guys doing??” Pidged yelped from across the hallway. Lance groaned and yelled back.

“It’s not like that, you sicko!” He grabbed the bowl again and raised a spoonful of goo to Keith’s chin.

“Just. I dunno, eat it.” He instructed. Keith dipped his head and took a bite from the spoon just as Shiro returned with a handful of napkins.

“Uh.” He interrupted. Lance didn’t look up as his cheeks went bright red and he raised his other arm.

“Just give them to me.”

Feeding Keith by hand actually worked out. There were only a few slip ups where the goo missed his mouth, but they had napkins this time. Once the bowl was finally empty, Lance went to wipe the goo from his own shirt. There was even some on the side of his neck. He went to wipe it when Keith grabbed his arm.

“Wait, I’ll get it.” Lance didn’t know how to respond for what was coming. He just stayed frozen as Keith inched closer to his face. Keith kept his eyes focused on his neck as he moved his legs to straddle Lance’s hips.

“Uh… Keith, buddy, your-” Lance started, but stopped when Keith pressed his lips against his jaw. His tongue slid down to the side of his neck and his lips puckered around a tender spot. Lance sucked in a breath partially from being caught off guard and partially from pleasure. When Keith finished, his lips made a wet sound leaving Lance’s skin and he licked his lips. Lance just stared in shock.

“Keith. What-why did… how, why what-”

“You told me to use my mouth?” Keith offered innocently. Lance, again, stared in shock. Keith just shrugged and leaned forward to rest his head on Lance’s shoulder; legs still straddling. Lance didn’t dare move as Keith fell asleep for the twentieth time that day. After what felt like hours, Lance tried to carry his whisper through the room.

“ _ Piiiiiiidge. PIIIIIDGE PLEEEEASEEE. _ ” A few seconds pass and the tiny gremlin pokes their head into the room.

“What?” They said a little too loud. Lance held his finger in front of his mouth to shush them, and moved his other hand in a beckoning motion. Keith drooled over his shoulder. Pidge tried to stifle a giggle as they approached the two.

“Can you bring up that zoo-skappy spider page again?”

“Xoskapian.”

“ _ Whatever.” _

“What do you want to know?” They said while tapping through a hand-held device. Lance thought carefully for a moment.

“What did it say about the ‘significant other’ thing?”

“it says that they imprint on one.”

“Okay, so what if they don't have a significant other?”

“They die.”

“Okay I get that, but what if the person they imprint on isn't their - uhhh - partner?” Pidge scrolled through the page with eyebrows furrowed. 

“It doesn't say anything about that. Why? Is he acting weird?” They asked. Lance gestured to the sleeping body draped over him. Pidge made an amused ‘hmph’ sound and examined Keith's forehead. 

“Well he's not feverish or anything. Maybe he just likes you.”

“You know Keith wouldn't even come within five feet of me.” Lance said. Pidge laughed and moved their hand away, but stopped.

“Lance, what happened to your neck?”

“What?”

“Is that… Is that a hickey??” Pidge asked almost above a whisper. Lance stuttered out an explanation.

“N-n-no! It's a, uhh, it's a bruise!” Pidge did not looked convinced.

“We were trying to walk, and he, um, he hit me by accident.”

“In the neck?”

“Yes. In the neck.” Pidge still didn't looked convinced, but they didn't press it any longer. Lance was visibly sweating now.

“If Keith has any more weird behavior, let me know. I want to update this medical page so it's more accurate.”

“Will do.”

For a while, there was no weird behavior, at least, nothing more strange than the occasional hug squeeze or manhandling. Before everyone went to bed, Hunk brought Lance a blanket and some pillows. The castle was dark except for the dim glowing lamps high up in the ceiling. Keith was already passed out - again. Lance needed so desperately to use the bathroom, but the risk of waking Keith was too great. He crossed his legs over and over for another hour until it was too unbearable. Lance slowly and steadily pushed Keith’s chin away from his chest and delicately yanked his hands from the loops in his jeans. Lance quickly removed his body from underneath Keith’s and tiptoed/dashed to the nearest bathroom.  _ He’ll be okay, he’ll be okay, he’ll be- _

**_thump_ **

_ HE’LLBEOKAYHE’LLBEOKAYHE’LLBEOKAY.  _ Lance quickly zipped up and ran out to the common room to find it empty.

“Keith?” He called out in a whisper. There was nothing under the blanket, nothing under the couch, nothing under the-

Keith was under the coffee table. His hands were pressed against the bottom of the tabletop as if it were trapping him from above.

“Keith. What are you doing.” Keith looked over with an intense expression and immediately made an attempt to stand. He hit his head hard on the table.

“Ow.” He said on his way back down to the ground. Lance tried not to let out a smile as he grabbed the slumped boy’s arm.

“Come here, I know those legs work.” He pulled him up to his knees (away from the table) and sat on the couch behind him. Keith was still kneeling before him as if he were a prince.

“Get up.”

“No.”

“‘No’ as in you can’t or ‘no’ as in you won’t?” Lance asked. Keith came closer and rested his palms on Lance’s knees. It sent a shiver down his spine that reached all the way down his legs and stopped at Keith’s hands. They were warm.

“Won’t.” Keith said challengingly. Now the shiver receded back up to his legs, and around his-

“Just get up. I’ll help you.” Lance offered with a cracking voice. Keith remained on the ground and slid his hands up and down Lance’s thighs slowly. Lance grabbed him by the arms and lifted him to his feet. They both stood inches apart.

“How do you want to sleep?” Lance asked, his face going red. Keith looked down at the couch and thought for a moment. Instead of speaking, he leaned back into the cushions and pulled Lance with him. Lance had no choice but to prop himself up with his arms next to Keith’s head and hover in push-up position. He wanted to get back up and run straight for the bathroom to calm down, but something about the way Keith’s eyes stayed on him enamored him.

“Um.” Lance couldn’t think of anything to say to make the thickness in the air go away. He could feel the blush run all the way down his neck as Keith grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. Their noses touched. Lance’s arms started to shake, so he relaxed one and used the other to run his fingers through Keith’s hair. It was knotted, but soft.

“Can I use my mouth this time?” Keith whispered. Lance froze and swallowed hard. He couldn’t wait any longer. He lowered his head and grazed Keith’s lips softly with his own for a moment. There were no fireworks or celebratory explosions. Just the whirring buzz of the castle and their breathing. Lance opened his eyes and watched the light in Keith’s irises. Keith pulled Lance in for a deeper kiss and let their tongues find each other. There still weren’t any fireworks, but Lance could feel every knot in his body start to loosen. He let his body sink into Keith’s, and moved his mouth along the boy’s chin down to his neck. Keith gave a small whimper in response and wrapped his fingers in Lance’s brown hair. He moved his hips slowly upward causing Lance to inwardly fall apart and let out a weak moan. Lance wanted to keep going. He wanted to keep planting kisses all over Keith’s body, but he didn’t.

“Wait.” He lifted his head from Keith’s exposed collarbone and stopped his movements.

“This isn’t you. It’s not...right.” Lance stated. Keith wasn’t looking at him, so it was difficult to read his reaction. His eyes were closed, too.

“Keith?” No response. Keith had fallen asleep for the hundredth time that day. Lance watched with widened eyes and gave a small smirk. He rested his head on his chest like a pillow, and dozed off for the first time that day.

~~~

Lance woke up feeling overwhelmingly warm and slightly sweaty. The castle’s lights were brighter to simulate daytime, but no one seemed to be up. Keith was still dozed off underneath him. Lance smiled to himself at the quiet moment.

“Hey!” Pidge jumped from behind the couch in their green paladin armor. Lance snapped the sleep out of his eyes and jumped. The motion caused Keith to stir.

“Hunk! We were supposed to do it at the same time.” Pidge whined. Hunk slowly rose up next to Pidge and gave a guilty smile.

“Hey, Lance. How's Keith?” Hunk asked. As if on cue, Keith opened his eyes and slowly turned over to his side to groan. Lance moved to a sitting position on Keith's knees and rubbed his eyes.

“I dunno, Keith, how you doin’?”

“Ugh.” he responded.

“Why are you guys suited up? Is everything okay?” Lance asked. Pidge rested their arms on the back of the couch.

“Coran says there might be more information on Xoskap spiders a few planets away from here. The planet apparently has the largest library in this galaxy.” They said with more excitement.

“So you and Hunk are going?”

“Hunk and I are going to the planet’s second largest tech convention in the galaxy. Shiro and Allura are going to the library.”

“Coran’s going to stay behind to keep an eye on you two.” Hunk added. Keith was snoring at this point. Lance wasn’t sure if being almost alone with Keith made him nervous or happy. After everyone left to their lions, Keith started to wake again. His waking process this time involved less groans and more energy. Lance was sitting at his feet. Close, but not as close as before.

“Hey.” Keith started.

“Hey.” Lance said back. There were two bowls of goo sitting on the table in front of them. A fresh courtesy from Coran.

“Do you feel any better than yesterday?” Lance asked carefully. Keith didn’t seem as feverish when they weren’t connected at the hip, but he still seemed pale and weak.

“I think so? I don’t really remember yesterday.” He said nonchalantly grabbing the food. He could lift the spoon to his face on his own this time. Lance stared perplexed, but not because of the improvement.

“You don’t remember anything?” He questioned. Keith shook his head.

“I remember feeling really hot.”

“And now you feel…?”

“Cold.”

“Oh.” Lance finished. He grabbed his food and started to eat. Thoughts raced in his mind.  _ Is he cured now? Is it cold in here? Did he remember any of last night? _ They ate in silence for a while. When Keith finally finished, he scooted closer to Lance and put most of his weight on him. He was far from cold; he was burning up. Lance turned to feel his forehead.

“You said you were cold?” He asked worriedly. Keith shrugged.

“Yeah. Freezing, but you’re pretty warm.” He leaned his head on his shoulder and started to place his hand in Lance’s palm.  _ Oh _ . Lance let him trace the little lines and curves in his fingers.

“Do you think you can walk?” He asked. Keith made an “I dunno” sound and took his hand back only to place it on Lance’s cheek. Lance tried to ignore it.

“Did you, um, want to, uh, try?” He swallowed hard. Keith didn’t respond, so Lance turned his head to see if he was still awake. He was. Keith took this as an opportunity to move in closer. Their noses touched briefly before Keith kissed Lance softly. It was short and sweet, so Lance had time to regain consciousness. He broke the trance by shooting up from the couch and clearing his throat.

“Well, Let’s try!” His voice cracked. Keith looked a little disappointed before shrugging and then standing. Lance kept an eye on his legs. They weren’t shaking. Not even the one that was bitten. The cryopod must have healed it completely.

“Okay. Let’s go visit Coran in the control room.” He suggested, but still remained cautious. Before taking a few more steps, Keith grabbed Lance’s hand and squeezed it. Lance wasn’t sure if he should pull away, so he didn’t. As they entered the control room hand in hand, Coran stood at the front watching a screen.

“The library is located about two hundred meters from where you landed. Just turn right, and you should be able to see it.” He instructed. A voice came from the screen.

“Thanks. We’ll let you know when we’re coming back to the ship.” Shiro’s voice said. Coran shut off the screen and turned to greet them.

“Ah! Lance, Keith. I see you’re feeling better.” He said happily. Keith didn’t respond as he squeezed Lance’s hand tighter.

“He’s walking okay, but he might have a fever.” Lance informed. Coran brought his hand to his chin and thought for a moment.

“He might. Try to bathe him in cold water. You can use the pools on the lower deck. They should be the perfect temperature.” He said. Lance tensed at this.

“You sure it’s okay to bathe him like this?”

“I don't see why not. Why? Has he been acting strange?”

“Other than smothering me all day, no.”

“It should be fine. Just holler if you need me. I’ll be a few rooms down working on the thruster panels.” He said on his way out of the room. Right as he turned the corner out of view, Keith planted another kiss on Lance’s hand.

“I don’t want to go swimming.” He murmured.

“It’ll just be a few minutes. I don’t want your fever getting too high.” Lance warned. Keith let out a sigh and loosened up. They went down to the lower deck and entered the pool room. It was humid and the water was still on the ceiling, but Lance knew how to fix it this time. He found the control panel at the front of the room and selected the size and temperature of the pool they needed. Once he pressed enter, the room made a whirring mechanical sound as the water from the ceiling fell into a new crater at the center of the room. Lance led Keith to the side of the small pool and stood there. There was one thing he forgot.

“I don’t have a bathing suit.” Keith said, realizing the situation.

“Are you okay with stripping down to your underwear? There’s towels over there, so when you’re done we can just wrap you up and get you fresh clothes.” Lance offered. Keith thought this over for a minute.

“It’s too cold.”

“You haven't even tried it!”

“Get in with me.”

“Keith, I swear you’ll be fine. I’ll be standing-”

“No. I won’t do it.” Keith interrupted. He said it with strength, but he was still softly holding Lance’s hand.

“Okay. I’ll dip my feet in. Is that okay?” Another minute went by.

“Okay.” He agreed. Keith was able to lift his shirt off halfway, but he stopped and hunched over.

“Help.” He said. Lance chuckled as he lifted the rest of the shirt off. The kid was skinny. Lance  cuffed his jeans to his knees as Keith shucked off his pants. Lance sat at the edge of the small pool and motioned for Keith to join him. Keith was hesitant and held his arms, but he soon joined Lance’s side. He winced as the water lapped at his toes and then his shins.

“See? It’s not that bad. You’ll feel better once you get in.” Lance chided. Keith slowly submerged himself into the water and treaded quietly. After a few minutes, he looked up at Lance.

“It feels good. Join me.” He said, but it sounded more like an order. Lance scoffed.

“Like I said, I’m only dipping my feet in.”

“Okay.” Keith said before swinging his arm and completely covering lance in a splash of water. Lance flinched like a cat and removed his legs from the pool.

“KEITH WHAT THE HELL??” He yelled into his sleeve. Keith was smiling now.

“Lance, you’re all wet! Now you  _ have _ to join me. It’s the law.” Keith said matter-of-factly. Lance wanted to yell and scream and get heated. He wanted to insult Keith or tell him to screw off, but a smile was bubbling onto his lips. It was just so out of character for Keith to be so  _ fun _ . Lance tried to hide his smile as he ripped his jacket off.

“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that.” He slid off his clothes and jumped into the pool. Keith was giggling.  _ Giggling _ . Lance immediately fired back with a splash that Poseidon himself would envy. Keith covered his face and shot back. They went back and forth in fits of giggles and splashes. Lance easily cornered Keith and grabbed his shoulders. He put Keith in a head lock and started to rub his knuckles into his hair. Keith tried to break free, but his laughing weakened him. Lance finally let him go after a minute and burst out laughing at the sight of Keith’s messed up, frizzy head. He reached out to Keith’s hair and pushed it back behind his ears. His hands stayed on his cheeks. Their giggles quieted down to heavy breathing. Before Lance knew it, he was leaning down to kiss Keith. When they parted, Keith smiled.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” He asked in a low voice. Lance didn’t dare tear his eyes away as he nodded slowly. They rose from the water hand in hand and dried off. Once the pool was emptied and their clothes were back on, they headed out into the hallway. Keith kept his fingers intertwined with Lance’s and rubbed his thumb back and forth. Lance felt like skipping down the hallway from elation, but kept a brisk walk. They were ready to go back to the common room and relax some more when Coran suddenly appeared around the corner from a furnace room.

“Can you two help me over here? There’s - uh - a slight difficulty with this machine, and I might need two or three hands to get it under control.” He said glancing between them. Lance followed where he was looking, and realized they were still holding hands. He flinched for a second, but stopped when Keith squeezed tighter.

“Sure thing.” Keith said and led into the room. There were a few machines whirring loudly and some not doing anything at all. Coran approached a machine in the far back and grabbed a tool.

“I just need you to put this piece in while I hold it open.” He instructed. Lance grabbed the triangular piece on the ground with his free hand.

“Okay.” Coran placed the tool like a wrench around a bolt, and twisted until a flap spun around and exposed an entire panel. There were various shapes, buttons, and lights flashing. Lance hesitated. He was about to ask for more instructions, but Keith gently took the object out of his hand and held it in front of a triangular hole at the very bottom. It clicked into place and Coran spun the wrench back.

“Alright, that should do it. Thank you-” A loud static noise interrupted Coran. There was a small tinny voice barely audible. Keith went to cover his ears and Lance perked up.

“What is that?”

“Ah! That sounds like Allura and Shiro. I think they’re heading back now.” Coran said with a spark. He turned on his heel and headed out. Keith and Lance followed once their hands joined again.

Allura stood at the front of the common room with a book in hand while Hunk and Pidge tinkered with something on the couch. Shiro came in last and struggled with a large pile of books in his arms. 

“Was the trip successful?” Coran asked. Allura smiled and nodded. She turned to Lance and Keith on the couch and smiled brighter. Keith was sleeping again

“I have some good news! Keith won’t die.” She told the group. Lance’s shoulders relaxed a little.

“Okay, but I thought we knew that-”

“ _ P-princess _ , is there anywhere I can p-put these?” Shiro said urgently with a wince. The stack was well above his head and was starting to teeter.

“Oh, just set them down over there.” She pointed to the table in the center. Shiro half walked/half crab-walked to the table and threw the stack on the table as quietly as he could. The tower fell just as it made contact with the table and spread books everywhere. Keith shifted in Lance’s lap.

“Anyways. We know he’s not dying. Did you find anything about those spiders?” Lance squeaked. Allura held up the book in her hand. It had a picture of a round planet and foreign symbols where the title would be.

“Planet Scientia has an entire section dedicated to planet Xoskap. Apparently they’ve been studying it for centuries. This book,  _ The Creatures of Xoskapia _ , has what we need.”

“Okay. So what’s the sitch?” Pidge asked with their head buried in some tech. Allura opened the book to a certain page and cleared her throat.

“‘The cupid arachnid is known less for its bite, and more for it’s slime. A bite only slightly alters the victim’s muscle coordination. The slime, if covered entirely, does much more damage. The spiders cover their prey in a slime that knocks them out long enough to get them bundled up in the web. When the sleep wears off, the prey is very groggy and too weak to fight back. If the victim is victorious in its escape, the groggines will only last a few hours.’”

“Wait, wait, wait. Did you say cupid?” Hunk questioned, but Allura ignored him and continued.

“‘Once the grogginess has diminished, the victim will start to have an increase in affectionate actions. The slime affects each individual differently, but the most common effect works much like an aphrodisiac.’” She finished. Hunk and Pidge stopped their work abruptly. Shiro flinched and his cheeks started to turn pink. Lance looked around in alarm.

“What? Wait, what’s an afro-dee. Uh. Aphrodite-ac?” He asked. Everyone was silent for a moment. Pidge broke the silence by cackling hard. Hunk joined them in the giggles. Shiro stayed quiet and buried his face in his hands. Coran and Allura gave each other a knowing look.

“WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME?”

“Lance, an  _ aphrodisiac _ is something that stimulates sexual desire. The slime is a drug.” Allura said without missing a beat. After a few seconds, Lance’s entire face went red.

“But the people we met on Scientia weren’t human. Keith is human, so maybe it has a different effect?” Shiro started, “Lance, has he shown any signs of… desire?”

“Oh my god.” Pidge said through their laughing fit. Lance looked down at the sleeping Keith and felt a sting of jealousy. This kid didn’t have to go through the embarrassment of a lifetime.

“Okay. Yes. Keith might have shown signs of… desire.” Lance muttered. Half the room gasped. Allura stood.

“Don’t tell me you two have been-”

“NO! Oh my god, no no no. We didn’t do anything like that!” Lance explained in a frenzy. All eyes were on him. He could feel sweat forming at his forehead. He let out a deep sigh and pulled at the collar of his shirt to reveal the large hickey on his neck.

“Wow.” Shiro said flatly. Pidge almost shrieked with laughter.

“I KNEW IT!” They exclaimed. The air in the common room started to feel lighter as the tension dissipated. Lance glanced back at Keith. His legs were curled up to his chest as he lay on his side. His hands rested comfortably on Lance’s thighs. Lance brushed a strand of hair away from his parted lips.

“Wait.” Allura stopped him. She was glancing down at Keith’s hair.

“What?” Lance followed her line of vision and started to worry. Was there a bite they missed? Were there eggs in his hair?? She pointed to a spot on his neck.

“Oh my.” She said with a slightly satisfied tone. Shiro stepped forward.

“What’s wrong? Is there- oh.” Pidge immediately got up to join them. As soon as they figured out what Shiro and Allura were looking at, they started to laugh again.

“Looks like Keith has a hickey to match!” Pidge said through cackling.

“What!? Lance, did you get covered in slime, too?” Hunk said worriedly as he rose to his feet. It was Lance’s turn to bury his face in his hands. His cheeks burned. Pidge laughed again.

“Lance is all red! All fifty shades of red!” they teased.

“Pidge, that’s enough.” Shiro said with an authoritative tone, but was failing at hiding a smirk. Allura gave a sigh and re-opened the book.

“Well, we now know the effects only last two to four  _ quintatnts _ , so we’ll just have to wait it out. In the meantime, Coran will be keeping a close eye on you two.”

“What? Why do we need a close eye?” Lance whined. Coran and Allura crossed their arms in sync and gave him a look. A look that reminded Lance of his first ‘birds and the bees’ talk with his parents. Lance scowled and kept his vision locked away from all the eyes looking at him.

“Fine. And it’s not like that, by the way.” He said in disgust. Pidge raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Riiiiight.” They said and turned back to the device they were tinkering with. After a while, everyone sort of dispersed again. Allura and Shiro went to the control room to discuss strategies, Pidge went to somewhere in the castle that needed upgrades, and Hunk went to the kitchen to also work on upgrades. Coran was hesitant to leave the room, so he decided to work in a boiler room veeeery close to the common room. The castle returned to its usual hum of peace and quiet. Lance tried his best to keep his eyelids from drooping, but it wasn't a great attempt. Keith had moved from sleeping in his lap to sleeping upright, leaning on his side. He held on to Lance’s hand tightly.

~~~

Keith woke up before Lance this time and took in his surroundings. Quiet. Lance. Alone. He did a double take. Their hands were intertwined loosely, and Lance had his arm wrapped around Keith’s shoulder. It was so warm. Keith pushed away. Lance was sleeping. Why is Lance sleeping. On the couch.  _ With me??? _

“Oh hey. You’re up.” Keith jumped at Shiro’s interruption. Shiro was picking out a few books from the large pile on the table across from them. He slowed his actions once he noticed Keith’s dazed look.

“Are you feeling okay?” He asked a little quieter. Keith looked down at his hand wrapped in Lance’s and let go out of embarrassment.

“Yes? Why? What’s going on? Why is Lance sleeping? Why am I out here-” Keith attempted to stand, but started to wobble. Shiro dropped his books and ran to his side to steady him.

“Woah, easy now. You’ve been sitting for a while. Maybe you should walk around for a bit.” He suggested. Keith looked back at Lance and squinted his eyes in confusion.  _ Why do I want him to walk with me? _

“What happened? Why can’t I remember… how long has it been since the spider planet?”

“About two days. Here. I’ll walk with you.” Shiro led Keith down the hallways and explained the bite, the slime, and the side effects. Keith nodded and went red a few times. They stopped at a large window and looked out at the galaxy. Keith rubbed his neck slowly and found the tender spot. He could feel a knot in his stomach starting to form almost as quick as the blood rushing to his face.

“So I’ve been a useless parasyte this whole time?” He asked with widened eyes.

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s not your fault. I’m just surprised you recovered so quickly.”

“But why Lance?” Shiro shrugged and fished unsuccessfully for an explanation.

“Do you think he’s going to hate me for how I’ve been acting?” His voice broke. Shiro sighed and let out a low chuckle. He gave Keith a pat on the shoulder.

“I highly doubt that.”

~~~

“KEITH? OH GOD IS HE UNDER THE TABLE AGAIN??” Lance was searching frantically in the room when Keith returned without Shiro. Keith bit his lip and thought up some words of encouragement to get this over with.  _ Lance, I’m okay now. Please don’t kiss me. _

“Keith! There you are.” Lance dropped the pillows he was looking under and ran to greet him. He took his hand and gave a bright smile.

“Are you okay? Did you get hungry? Do you want Hunk to make us something?” Keith looked down at their connected hands and didn’t remove himself.  _ Oh. _

“Hey,” Lance pushed a few stray hairs out of Keith’s face and softened his gaze, “are you alright?” Keith could feel the heart trapped in his chest starting to thrash around.  _ Eyes. Blue. Soft. Lance. _

“I’m uh, I am um.” Keith stopped his stuttering and started to count the freckles on Lance’s face.  _ Have those always been there?  _ He snapped back to reality as Lance grabbed him into an embrace.

“It’s okay. We can just relax if you want.” Lance’s hand crept up to Keith’s hair and played with it soothingly. The knot in Keith’s stomach started to loosen. Keith had  _ never _ experienced something so comforting. Lance’s chest was so warm and welcoming, that Keith almost didn’t notice Pidge walk across the hall for a second. He pushed back.

“A-actually, I think I want to head to the training deck.” He sputtered out. Lance looked shocked for a second, then softened his gaze again. He slipped his hand back into Keith’s.

“Okay. We can do that.” He said as he led the way out of the common room.

Slashing a sword into a dummy never felt so tense. Even after everything Keith has been through, this training sequence felt the most difficult. After trying multiple times to explain to Lance that  _ yes, I can hold my sword just fine, _ Keith could still feel Lance’s eyes watching very intently. With every block or near miss, he could hear a small gasp from Lance’s direction. It felt like every move counted. Every single step was accounted for. Keith was concentrating so hard on how he was being watched, he didn’t notice the simulated dummy come at him with the hilt of it’s sword and knock him to the ground. He landed with a  **thud** and wheezed. Lance immediately shot up to his feet.

“End simulation!” The dummy dissipated as Lance ran to Keith’s side. He used a hand to brush Keith’s sweating cheek.

“Are you okay? Did it hit you bad?”

“I’m…. fine…...I just……. need.. a second.” Keith said with a heavy wheeze. Lance backed up to give him some space, but still sat on his knees right next to Keith’s legs. Keith slowly rose from the ground like a mummy and rubbed his chest.

“Really, Lance. I’m okay.” He said.

“I just want to make sure. That bite might still have an effect on you.” Lance said as he rested his hand on Keith’s knee. Keith couldn’t help but stare at it. The hand. On his freaking knee. Was it hot in here? Why was he sweating so much? Why isn’t Lance sweating? It’s so hot in here. Lance was starting to lean forward. His hand catching Keith’s jaw and pulling him closer.  _ Oh god oh god ohgodohgod. _

“We should head back to the control room.” Keith pulled back, “Just to make sure we’re not missing a meeting or whatever.” Lance looked disappointed, but rose to his feet. He held out a hand and pulled Keith up. Although, Lance didn’t let go of his hand the whole way to the control room, and neither did Keith. No one seemed to bat an eyelash as the two entered hand in hand. Allra was explaining something from the front to Coran when the doors closed behind them.

“Ah, Lance. We were just about to leave the galaxy.”

“Oh, okay. What happened to those refugees we were supposed to pick up on Xoskap?”

“It was a false alarm. The signal was fake.” Pidge muttered behind their controls.

“But we did add a few planets to the Voltron coalition. If this galaxy is ever in danger of the Galra, we’ll know instantly.” Shiro said. He glanced down at Keith’s hand in Lance’s and raised an eyebrow at him. Keith could feel another blush run hot against his neck, but Shiro turned away and shrugged it off. He cleared his throat.

“So, are there any updates on Zark-” Keith was interrupted by a blaring alarm. Coran straightened instantly.

“It's another distress signal!”

“Could it be another false alarm?” Pidge asked. Shiro stepped forward.

“We need to find out for sure. Everyone suit up. Coran, can you bring us to that location?”

“Of course.” Everyone jumped into action. Pidge and Hunk went to suit up again, Shiro was already suited up and at the front of the room beside Allura, and Coran typed furiously at a screen. Lance hesitated and squeezed Keith's hand hard.

“Do you need us to suit up?” he asked in a small voice. Shiro turned and started to speak, but Coran beat him to it.

“No no no! Remember what the book said? The part about possibly dying from being separated? You two need to rest.” He said frantically. Keith was looking at the ground. He didn't have to look up to know that Shiro was giving him a hard stare. After a moment of agonizing nothingness, Shiro spoke up.

“Whenever you're ready, Princess.” As Hunk and Pidge filed into the room, Keith dragged Lance out. He couldn't handle any more looks from Shiro.

“Woah,  _ woah _ . Since when did you have such a death grip?” Lance joked. He was practically bouncing from giddiness even in these circumstances.

“You don’t think we should go out there and help?” Keith stopped Lance's bouncing. Lance turned to him and gave a soft smile. It made something spin in Keith's chest.

“They've got this. Plus, if it gets bad, we'll just fly in with Blue.”

“But what if we need to form Voltron?”

“Geez, Keith, would you stop worrying? I'm sure it's nothing.” Lance chided. Keith bit the inside of his cheek and fidgeted his shirt with his free hand.  _ Just tell him already. _

“Hey, are you feeling okay? Did you want to take another bath? Maybe cool down a little?”

“No, I'm feeling- wait.  _ Another?  _ What do you mean ‘another’?” They continued past the common room and roamed in the hallways. The ceiling lights flickered on as they walked by.

“You don’t remember? You had a fever not too long ago, but you said you were freezing.” Another light started to buzz to life above their heads.

“Uh…” Keith tried to hide his burning cheeks. A bath with Lance?  _ That actually doesn’t sound too-. _ Lance interrupted his thoughts by taking Keith’s face in his hands.

“What are you-?” He started. Lance moved a hand to his forehead and hummed.

“You don’t feel warm again, so that’s good.” Keith had no choice but to look in Lance’s caring eyes as he held his face. Something tugged in his chest as Lance leaned in closer. His hand brushed Keith’s hair back to reveal his forehead, and he pressed his lips against the skin. Warmth spread throughout Keith’s body like a thick coat of space spider slime, yet he shivered in response.  _ I need to tell him so bad. I should just do it right now.  _ Once Lance pulled back, everything went cold again. He looked as if he was going to say something, but Keith leaned forward to connect their lips. He kept his eyes squinted shut and heard a ‘Mmh!” from Lance. It wasn’t clean or perfect, but Keith couldn’t hold it in any longer. The feeling of  _ Lance _ just felt too good. 

Lance leaned in closer to press their chests together, and brought his hand to cup the back of Keith’s head. Keith had to lean against the wall to support the weight and his weak knees. Lance had some height on him, so he used his other hand to hold his lower back. It was like clinging on for dear life. As Lance kissed harder, Keith dug his nails deeper into Lance’s thigh. One hand on his thigh, and the other at his cheek. The air on the ship seemed to grow heavier. Keith pulled back to take a breath, but Lance immediately moved down to his jaw and then to his neck. He returned to the tender spot and pressed his lips against it. Keith’s breathing hitched and he squeezed his hand harder around Lance’s thigh. Lance moved his hips in closer, and caused Keith’s vision to blur from pleasure. He raised his arms up around Lance’s neck. There was something about Lance’s intensity that made Keith shiver. It was as if he had been waiting a long time to do this.  _ Have we done this before?  _ Keith mentally shook the thought away and let Lance start to remove his jacket. The heat between them seemed to lift a little, but Keith still felt hot and bothered. Lance went to back to kissing him and crept his hands underneath Keith’s shirt; almost taunting him to take it off. Keith smiled against his lips drove his hips in closer this time. Lance’s hands fell at this and he let out a low groan of pleasure in his throat. Maybe Keith didn't have to tell Lance. Maybe they could live like this and Keith would never have to confess his feelings.  _ That is so dumb. I need to tell him. _ Suddenly Lance stopped. He pulled away and sighed. His face was turned down, looking anywhere but Keith’s direction.

“This isn’t right. I’m sorry.” He took a step back and let Keith’s arms hang in the air. The sudden lack of body heat made Keith’s chest ache. He quickly lowered his arms and crossed them. He fidgeted with his sleeves.

“Oh. I um- yeah I get. Yeah.” He stuttered. He could feel the cold creeping back, but it felt more sinister. Empty.

“I want it to be real between us so badly, but this isn’t- you’re not-” Lance said. Keith almost choked on air.

“Lance.”

“You never wanted any of this. This wasn’t your choice.”

“Lance.”

“I want it to be your choice. I want  _ you _ to like me.” Keith grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to touch their foreheads together. Their noses brushed, and their lips were centimeters apart.

“This is my choice. I want this.” He said softly.

“But-” Lance started, but Keith pressed his mouth against his. It was more delicate than before, but it felt electric. It felt like every tiny explosion on a Galra ship. Like every thruster in the Altean castleship. They pulled apart.

“I’m okay now. And I  _ really _ want this.” Keith said. Lance stared in shock for a second, but then smiled warmly. The way his lips curved up into a smirk drove Keith crazy, so he pulled him into yet another kiss.

“LANCE AND KEITH. WHEREVER YOU ARE, PLEASE GET TO YOUR LIONS. VOLTRON WILL BE NEEDED FOR THIS MISSION.” Allura’s voice boomed throughout the castle. They both flinched at the disembodied intrusion then looked at eachother. Keith was the first to start smiling. Then giggling. Lance joined in and soon they were running down the hallway, hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to read this. I've been working on this for three months, and it feels so good to finally post it.  
> follow me on the tumbles and we can chat about voltron!!!


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